The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund and attorneys with the Christian Legal Society filed suit against UC Hastings officials in October 2004, claiming the nondiscrimination policy targets religious student groups in violation of their First Amendment rights.

The student group is appealing a decision last month by a California district court which ruled the college had not violated its constitutional rights.

“Christian student groups should not be treated differently from other student groups that wish to maintain their own identity and core beliefs,” said Litigation Counsel Tim Tracey of the Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law & Religious Freedom.

“School officials need to realize the difference between invidious discrimination and merely seeking to maintain a Christian identity,” Tracey said. “How long is a Christian student group going to remain Christian if it can’t require its leaders to support its beliefs?”